Recipes

37 Recipes That Reinvented the Classics

We didn't think the classics could get any better—until they did.
Image may contain Plant Food Dish Meal and Pottery
Eva Kolenko

Recipes like Caesar salads and ramen are classics for good reason: They're close to perfect. But for exacting restaurant chefs and test kitchen editors, they're a foundation for endless inspiration. These 37 creative recipes reinvented the classics to be the absolute best they can be.

  • Tuna casserole seen from overhead with a scoop being removed on a purple tablecloth.
    Photograph by Victoria Jane, Food Styling by Mallory Lance, Prop Styling by Alexandra Massillon
    1/37

    Tuna Casserole with Dill and Potato Chips

    Undercooking the pasta is key; it’s what ensures it won’t be mushy after baking. And the potato chips add crunch to every bite in this nouveau tuna casserole recipe.

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  • Image may contain Dish Food Meal Bowl Plant Cutlery and Fork
    Elizabeth Cecil
    2/37

    Oberlin's Kohlrabi Caesar Salad

    This is made with house-pickled herring at Oberlin, but smoked trout is equally delicious as an ­anchovy alt. If you can’t get kohlrabi, try this same scenario on romaine.

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  • Image may contain Food Bread Cornbread Meal and Dish
    Alex Lau
    9/37

    Tamale Pie with Mint Yogurt

    The ras-el-hanout in the filling of this not-so-traditional take on a tamale pie is a Moroccan spice blend that contains several warming spices (such as cinnamon and nutmeg) with a little ginger and chile for heat.

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  • Image may contain Dish Food Meal Plant Produce and Sprout
    Photo by Alex Lau
    10/37

    Celery Caesar Salad

    We’re into the celery-on-celery concept, but you could make this with celery root alone and it would be great. All you really need for a Caesar salad base is primo crunch.

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  • Image may contain Sponge Confectionery Food and Sweets
    Peden & Munk
    11/37

    Ombré Rainbow Cookies

    The batter for this riff on the New York rainbow cookie is divided into thirds and tinted with increased amounts of bright coloring to get the ombré effect.

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  • Image may contain Dish Food Meal Platter and Plant
    Alex Lau
    12/37

    Chicken Milanesa with Maggi Ranch Sauce

    This irresistible matchup of crispy and creamy—thanks to this unconventional riff on ranch dressing—releases more dopamine than a bag of Cheetos.

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  • Image may contain Food Dessert Birthday Cake and Cake
    Milk Bar
    15/37

    Momofuku Milk Bar’s Birthday Layer Cake

    Is this cake a project? Yes, it certainly is. But you can tackle this funfetti cake descendent one component at a time and work well in advance of party day.

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  • Image may contain Dish Food Meal Platter and Plant
    Alex Lau
    16/37

    The New Caprese

    Tomatoes, basil, cheese—a dish we know and love gets a major upgrade and gives us the Caprese salad we didn't know we needed.

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  • A pile of fried chicken on a platter topped with sweet pickle slices and served with white BBQ sauce on the side.
    Photograph by Travis Rainey, Prop Styling by Alexandra Massillon, Food Styling by Luciana Lamboy
    17/37

    Buttermilk Fried Chicken

    The egg-enriched buttermilk mixture makes for an especially crunchy and craggy coating.

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  • Image may contain Plant Food Vase Pottery and Jar
    Nicole Franzen
    18/37

    Bucatini with Walnut-Parsley Pesto

    That parsley in your fridge is lonely! Let it hang with chiles and walnuts for a weeknight pasta that takes on traditional basil-pine nut pesto with grace.

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  • Salmon Niçoise recipe
    Marcus Nilsson
    21/37

    Salmon Niçoise

    We love making this classic salad with mâche instead of traditional frisée and salmon instead of tuna.

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  • Image may contain Ice Cream Creme Cream Food Dessert and Bread
    Wes Frazer
    22/37

    White Barbecue Sauce

    There are many different styles of barbecue and more than one kind of barbecue sauce. This perfected version of the one that originated in Alabama, and if you know what’s good for you, you’ll dip your fried chicken in it.

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  • Image may contain Food Pasta Dish Meal and Noodle
    Photo by Christina Holmes, Food Styling by Rebecca Jurkevich, Prop Styling by Kaitlyn Du Ross
    25/37

    Winter Squash Carbonara with Pancetta and Sage

    Kabocha squash is made for purées, and were born to be reinvented into a creamy carbonara that just slightly veers away from the classic.

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  • Image may contain Plant Food Dish Meal Flower and Blossom
    26/37

    Tuscan Kale Caesar Slaw

    Caesar salad, traditionally made with romaine lettuce, transfers beautifully to hardy kale, which becomes less tough when you cut it into thin strips.

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  • Image may contain Food and Fried Chicken
    Wes Frazer
    27/37

    Hushpuppies

    The pieces of butter in the batter melt as the hushpuppies fry, making them extra moist and luscious—a serious upgrade from less foolproof recipes for the beloved classic.

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  • Image may contain Plant Food Dish and Meal
    Eva Kolenko
    28/37

    Cacio e Pepe Potatoes

    The classic Pecorino and black pepper combination is delicious on way more than pasta. Try it on, potatoes, veg, and rice, too.

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  • Image may contain Food Dish Meal and Bowl
    29/37

    Boiled Peanut Hummus

    Who knew? Boiled peanuts make an outstanding chickpea replacement in this unusual hummus recipe.

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  • Image may contain Dish Food Meal Plant Produce Pizza Bowl and Vegetable
    Wes Frazer
    30/37

    Grits Aligot

    Like cheesy grits. Really, really, really, really cheesy grits. Cook the collards until they completely surrender themselves to the rich, spicy, lip-smacking braising liquid.

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  • Image may contain Plant Food Lunch and Meal
    Ted Cavanaugh
    31/37

    Turkey Pho Dip

    You’re familiar with French dip, of course. And you're familiar with pho. Well, meet pho dip! In a stroke of holiday genius, you’ll use the turkey carcass to make an aromatic broth.

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  • Image may contain Food Seasoning Sesame Plant Meal Produce and Dish
    Alex Lau
    32/37

    Potato Salad with Lox and Everything-Bagel Spice

    A riff on a bagel with lox and cream cheese. If you’re not feeling the smoked salmon, simply omit it. And if your market stocks jarred everything spice, use that in place of the homemade mix we’ve offered here.

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  • Image may contain Bowl Food Dish Meal Soup Bowl Gravy Soup Curry and Egg
    Gentl & Hyers
    33/37

    Watermelon Gazpacho with Feta Crema

    Forget traditional tomato-only gazpacho. Here, you're in it for the balance between spicy, sweet, and creamy.

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  • A stuffed turkey breast wrapped in bacon on a platter with two pieces sliced off.
    Photo by Christopher Testani
    34/37

    Turketta

    What's better than Thanksgiving turkey? Thanksgiving turkey that resembles porchetta, because it's wrapped in bacon.

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  • Image may contain Dish Food Meal Egg Noodle Pasta Bowl and Plant
    Alex Lau
    37/37

    Turkey Ramen

    You made your own turkey stock and turned it into ramen, of course. No? Well, you should.

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Associate Web Editor. When she’s not posted up at a café, reading and praying that sipping her cappuccino won’t mean sacrificing a night’s sleep, Elyssa writes about food culture and restaurant trends for bonappetit.com. The team’s unrelenting sweet tooth and beverage nerd, Elyssa can also be found refreshing the Wait-or-Buy ... Read More